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Change your life with NCS this Summer

Thursday 18th May 2017

Charlton Athletic Community Trust (CACT) is urging young people in Kent to change their lives this summer by signing up to popular youth empowerment programme National Citizen Service (NCS) after research revealed it can help them get into university.

As teenagers prepare to take exams, the research, which analyses data provided by UCAS, shows that university admission is about more than just exam grades with NCS grads 12% more likely to get into university than non-NCS grads. Since its launch in 2009, NCS has given more than 300,000 young people from all backgrounds the opportunity to spend four weeks experiencing the great outdoors, learning important life skills and volunteering in their local community.

Delivered by Charlton Athletic Community Trust in Dartford, Gravesend, Sevenoaks, Tonbridge & Malling and Tunbridge Wells, NCS also helps young people get jobs and improve their career prospects by giving them access to unique volunteering and work experience opportunities.

Michael Lynas, CEO, NCS, said: “This new research shows that NCS helps young people to get on in life and gives them vital life skills that can’t be taught in a classroom. I’d urge all sixteen year olds in the area to take part in NCS after GCSEs this summer. Not only will they make new friends and have an adventure, they will also be fast tracking their future.”

NCS is open to 15-17 year olds across England.

This year a record 100,000 young people are signed up to take part in NCS and CACT is recommending that young people sign up for summer places before they run out.

Jemma Bolton, Assistant NCS programme officer at CACT, said: “I’ve worked with NCS since 2015, in the two years, I’ve seen programme become a huge national movement, growing more and more each year. The programme holds so many benefits including preparing young people for life after their school years. Young people leave the programme having developed the skills employers increasingly value; confidence, leadership and independence, as well as expanding their social circles and taking away friends for life.”